The environment secretary, Hilary Benn, warned that there was a potential for serious flooding of eastern England coastal areas in the next 48 hours.

Police were on standby in the areas most likely to be affected, including Norfolk and Suffolk, to coordinate the emergency response - including evacuation if necessary.

Mr Benn told MPs: "A tidal surge of up to three metres is making its way down the North Sea which could coincide with peak high tides.

"There is a risk of flood defences being over-topped on the coast and in tidal rivers, especially in East Anglia, particularly the Norfolk Broads and the coast south of Great Yarmouth including Lowestoft, and areas south of this as far as the coast of Kent."

Sir Ian Blair

The leader of the Commons, Harriet Harman, underlined government backing for the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, amid further Commons calls for his resignation.

Her comments came ahead of fresh criticism of Sir Ian by a watchdog for delaying the investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell in 2005. Mr De Menezes was mistaken for a terrorist.

Ms Harman (Camberwell and Peckham) told MPs: "I would say in an unscientific opinion survey that my constituents are very supportive of the work the Metropolitan commissioner has been leading in the Metropolitan police and, despite believing that it was absolutely tragic that this innocent young man lost his life, do not want him to resign but want him to get on with his job of protecting Londoners."

Northern Ireland

The Rev Ian Paisely, the first minister of Northern Ireland, warned of a return to the past in the province if dissident republicans were found responsible for shooting an off-duty police officer in Londonderry.

He said: "I am told on good authority that the IRA dissidents are definitely under the shadow on this particular crime.

"If that is so we could be going back to things we thought we had finally conquered."

Nimbyism

The Tories were accused by the communities secretary, Hazel Blears, of being "prisoners of nimbyism" amid clashes over the provision of new homes.

Ms Blears confirmed the government's target of building three million homes by 2020, but Peter Ainsworth, the shadow environment secretary, condemned ministers for not providing the necessary infrastructure to back up the developments.

Schools

Gordon Brown was accused by Theresa May, the shadow leader of the Commons, of playing politics with pupils.

She demanded that he "apologise to the people he is taking for a ride", telling MPs: "Last week the prime minster's spin doctors contacted several schools telling them that he was going to praise them in his keynote education speech.

"But guess what: he didn't mention a single one of them."

Ms Harman said: "We would all want to back up the prime minister's view that those schools who are working very hard to increase the involvement of parents in their children's education are to be congratulated."

Bills

The human fertilisation and embryology bill gained its Lords first reading.

Fierce debate may be triggered during its passage if rival amendments are tabled on abortion.

Also gaining its first reading was the regulatory enforcement and sanctions bill, whose provisions include establishment of a Local Better Regulation Office, coordination of regulatory enforcement by councils and reduction of regulatory burdens.

NHS

The government was accused by Lord Howe, the shadow junior health minister, of achieving a "largely illusory" NHS surplus last year by "savage cuts to strategic health authorities' training and education budgets and by raiding public health budgets".

Lord Darzi, the junior health minister, said: "This government is passionate about quality, be it in the NHS, social care, embryology, children's welfare, developing skills or students' loans.

"Improving quality in these areas is challenging and our new bills covering these areas are crucial in rising to that challenge."

Speaker

Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful, apologised to the Speaker, Michael Martin, for suggesting on TV that he was asleep during the Queen's speech debate.

He was referring to an appearance on BBC's Newsnight on Tuesday when he made a jokey reference to Mr Martin nodding off during Tory leader David Cameron's response.

Mr Huhne said: "I wish to apologise to you and the house for remarks made on Newsnight the other evening in which I suggested incorrectly that you were asleep during proceedings on the Queen's speech debate.

"It was wrong of me to draw the chair into a matter of political dispute and I hope you will accept I intended no personal offence and fully withdraw my comments."